Machine for stamping cans



April 28,1925.

w. E. MlTToN MACHINE FOR STAMPING CANS Fildsept. 10, 1923 iNV EN TORPatented Apr. 28, 1925.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

WILLIAM E. MI'I'TON, OF NEW LONDON, WIscoNsIN, 'AssIeNon r0 rm: BURDENCDMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW J RSEY.

MACHINE FOR STAMPING CANS.

Application filed September 10, 1923. Serial No. 661,810.

To allwhom it may co'hcem:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. MITTON, a citizen of the United-States,residing in New London, in the county of Waupaca, in the State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Stampin Cans, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in machines for stamping cans,and more particularly to an improvement in machines for stamping theends or heads of cylindrical cans.

The object of the invention is to improve upon the construction andoperation of machines of this character in order that the stamping ormarking of the cans or other articles or objects upon which the machineoperates may be performed faster and in a more efficient manner than ispossible with stamping machines as heretofore constructed. To theaccomplishment of this object the invention consists in the provision ofmeans for causing the cans to travel forward without rotation so thatthe stamp or print may be accurately impressed at the same place on eachsucceeding can. The stamping device is so arranged as to be actuatedbythe moving cans and thus the speed of operation of the stamping.device is controlled entirely by the rate at which the cans are causedto pass through the stamping machine. The invention is more fullydescribed hereinafter and is particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrat-' ing the preferred form of theinvention, Fig.1 is a side elevation of so much of the improved canstamping machine as is necessary to illustrate the invention; Fig. 2 isa .top plan of the parts shown in'the Fig.

'1; and Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

The improved stamping machine comprises a conveyor for carrying forwardin succession the series of articles or objects to be stamped, means foractuating the conveyor, means for stamping or printing the objects,means for supplying fresh ink, paint or the like to the stamping meansand means engaged and moved by the traveling objects for actuating thestamping device so that it is brought, into contact with each objectsuccessively. In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawingsthe improved machine is shown as operatlng upon a series of cylindricalcans. It will be understood that the invention is not to be restrictedto this purpose, but that it may be employed in operating upon objectsof various shapes, cylindrical cans being chosen to show the principleof the invention.

The cylindrical cans 4 are carried forward to receive the print, stampor other impression by means of a conveyor consisting of a lower belt 5upon which the cans rest and an upper belt 6 which presses against theupper sides of the cans. Thelower conveyor belt 5 is supported at itsends by the pulleys 7 and 8; the upper conveyor belt 6 is supported onthe pulleys 9 and 10. The pulleys 7 and 8 are journaled in the oppositeends of the longitudinal bars 11 and the pulleys 9 and 10 are journaledin the opposite endsof the longitudinal bars 12. The longitudinal bars11 and 12 are supported from the uprights 14c which rise from the baseof the machine (not shown in the drawings). The cans are carried forwardwithout rotation in order that they may be accurately and clearlystamped. For this purpose the upper or can contacting surface of thelower conveyor belt 5 and the lower or can contacting surface of theupper conveyor belt 6 travel in the same direction (indicated by thesmall arrows on the cans), and at the same rate of speed. The power fordriving the conveyor belts may be derived from any convenient source;

and as shown, the shaft 16 upon which the pulley is mounted is providedwith a drivlng pulley 17 about which passes the belt 18. Power istransmitted to the lower conveyor belt by means of the upper gear 20"mounted on the shaft 21 upon which the pulley 10 is mounted. The gear20 meshes wlth'a gear 22 of equal size mounted on the shaft 24=- uponwhlch the pulley 8 is mounted.

The cans are fed into position to be engaged byv and carried forward bythe conveyor belts from a chute or hopper designated generally at 25,which consists of the front and rear guides 26 and 27 and the side guiderails 28. The guides 26 and 27 curve 195 them in proper position to bestamped. For i this purpose the guides 28 are carried forward from thelower end of the chute and extend to the discharge end of the machine,shown at the right of Figs. 1 and 2.

The stamping device for stamping, printing or otherwise impressing thecans consists of a hub .30 havingja plurality of oppositelyand radiallydisposed arms 31 carrying on their outer ends the stamps 32 which areadapted to be brought into contact successively with the heads or endsof the cans as they pass by the stamping device. In the form oftheinventionishown in the drawings the stamping device is arranged to stamponly one end of the cans. This end may be termed the head of the cans.It will be understood that the stamping device is equally well adaptedfor stamp: ing the cylindrical sides of the cans; and that by simplyduplicating the parts both ends, that is, both the head and bottom ofthe cans may be stamped simultaneously.

The hub is mounted on a vertically arranged shaft 34: journaled in thelower bearing 35 and in the upper bearing 36. The bearing 35 is mountedon a bracket 37 secured to one of the bars 11, andthe bear ing 36 ismounted on a bracket 38 secured to one of the bars 12. The arrangementis such that'one of the stamps 32 is brought into contact with the headof the can opposite the hub 30. As the stamped can is carried forward bythe conveyors the stamp which has just been in operation is moved out ofoperative position and the next succeeding stamp is brought into contactwith the next succeeding can. The parts for effecting this mode ofoperation-comprise a pair of upper star wheels 40 mounted on thehorizontal shaft 41 and a pair of lower star wheels 42 mounted on thehorizontal shaft 43. The shafts 41 and 43 are'journaled in bracketssecured to the bars 11 and 12, as clearly shown in F i 3. The starwheels are so located as to e engaged and turned by the sides of thecylindrical cans. There are as many arms on each wheel as there are armson the stamping device. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention,the stamping device is provided with four arms and stamps andconsequently the star wheels are provided with four arms, so that aseach can passes the star wheels they and the hub 30 are turned through aquarter revolution.

The rotation of the star wheels is communicated to the hub 30 by meansof the miter gears 45 and 46. The stamps 32 may be provided with ink orother marking substance from a pair of inking rolls 48 supportzed fromthe bar 49 secured to the bracket 3' The axis of the vertical shaft 34upon which the hub of the stamping device is mounted is in the verticalplane which passes through the axes of the shafts upon 1,5sa,tae

which the star wheels are mounted. Consequently when the axis of a canis in alinement with the axes of the shafts upon which the star wheelsare mounted, and one of the two pairs of oppositely disposed stampbearing arms 31 are alined with the axis of the can, one of the stampswill be in contact with the center of the head of the can. Incidently itwill be observed that when the axis of a can. lies between the axes ofthe shafts of the star wheels the arms of the star 'wheels then incontact withthe top and bottom sides of the can form equal angles withthe plane passing through the axes. Thus as the cans are carriedforward, the stamps are successively brought into contact with thecenter of the head of the cans. By

reason of 'thearrangement of the star wheels and the stamping device itis seen that regardless of the rate of speed at which the cans areconveyed through the stamping machine, the head of each can isaccurately and properly stamped. If it is desired to stamp the head ofthe can otherwise the parts will be shifted accordingly.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is I 1. A-stamping machine for stamping a series of cylindrical ob'eotscomprising, a plurality of conveyor elts moving synchronously in thesame direction for carrying forward the series of cylindrical objectswhich are positioned transversely across and between the belts, vmeansfor actuating the conveyor belts, and a stamping device consisting of arotatable member mounted to turn on a vertical axis and having aplurality of'radially extending arms, and star wheels operat'ivelyconnected with the rotatable' member and positioned in the line of thetraveling objects to be engaged and moved thereby to turn the rotatablemember to bring one of the arms in contact with the object engaging thestar wheels.

2. A stamping machine for stamping a series of cylindrical objectscomprising, two horizontally disposed conveyor belts movei synchronouslyin the same direction for carrying between them the series of objectsplaced transversely across the belts, means for drivingthe belts, and arotatable stampingmember mounted to turn on a vertical axle, andcarrying a plurality of vertically disposed stamps, horizontallydisposed shafts located adjacent the line of cans and transverselythereof, the said shafts being connected with the rotatable member bymiter gears, a pair of star wheels mounted on each horizontal shaft'andarranged to straddle the belts contacting the side surfaces of the cans,the arms of'the star wheels projecting into the path of travel of thecans to be turned thereby to actuate the rotatable member to bring astamp in contact with the end of the object engaging the star wheels. 4

between them,

3. A stamping machine for stamping the ends of a series of cylindricalcans comprising, a conveyor consisting of an upper and a a lower belttraveling in the same direction and at the same rate of speed forcarrying without rotation the cans placed transversely means for drivingthe belts, a stamping device consisting of a hub mounted on a verticallyarranged shaft, said hub having a plurality of radially extending arms,each of which carries a stamp on its outer end, two horizontal shaftsone of which is positioned above the" cans and the other of which ispositioned below the cans, star wheels mounted on the upper shaft forengagement with the upper sides of the cans, star wheels mounted on thelower shaft for engagement with the lower sides of the.

cans, each star wheel having the'same number of arms as there arestamps, and gear connections between the shafts on which the star wheelsare mounted and the shaft on which the stamping device is mounted, thearrangement being such that when the cans move into engagement with thestar wheels and turn them the stamps are brought into contact with thecenter of the heads of the cans successively.

4. A stamping machine for stamping a series of cylindrical objectscomprising a pair oi spaced conveyor belts moving synchronously in thesame direction for carrying forward the seriesof cylindrical objectswhich arepositioned transversely across and between the belts, means foractuating the conveyor belts, a stamping device having a plurality ofstamps adapted to be successively brought into contact with the heads ofthe objects as they pass the stamping device and means moved by thetraveling objects for actuating the stamping device to bring one of thestamps into contact with the object then passing the stamping device.

5. A can stampingmachine having in combination, a pair of conveyor beltstraveling in the same direction and at the same rate of speed adapted tocarry forward a series of cans, means for actuating the conveyor belts,a plurality of star wheels positioned beside the line of travel of thecans and adapted to be turned as each can engages and passes them, and arotatably mounted stamping means connected with the star wheels andarranged to contact with the cans.

WILLIAM MITTON.

